Top 10 Most Satisfying Video Game Endings Ever

Sir Daniel Fortesque or the “Hero of Gallowmere”, led the charge against the sinister sorcerer, Zarok, but before they could meet on the battlefield, his heroic head met an anticlimactic arrow. This embarrassing secret was buried along with him, but when Zarok returned so did Sir Daniel. After hacking and slashing through an army of menacing minions and eventually beating the wicked sorcerer himself, the chivalrous skeleton is once again laid in rest with his honor intact. But hold on, it gets even more wholesome; if the player grabs all the chalices, then Sir Daniel will take his rightful place among other courageous champions in the “Hall of Heroes”.

To most people, Geralt of Rivia has more in common with the monsters he kills than with a family man, which is why it’s so delightful to see him be a ‘kinda-sorta dad’ to his adopted daughter, Ciri. Players spend most of the game combing through the Continent looking for her. Your choices impact your ending, so if you play your cards right, and we don’t mean Gwent, then you can get the most uplifting ending; where Ciri survives her bout with the “White Frost”, she continues to be a witcher, and decides to be a part of Geralt’s oddball family along with Yennefer or Triss.

This series is known for being grim and gory, so players tend to cherish any feel-good moments they can get their hands on. After a steady supply of suffering, this relatively optimistic ending goes a long way. Marcus Fenix finally gets revenge for everyone he lost along the way, by killing Queen Myrrah, the leader of the Locust. His father, who sadly had to sacrifice himself, ends the threat of the Locust, the Lambent, and Imulsion in an instant. Humanity is now at peace and at last, has hope. Plus, Clayton Carmine survives this game! The cycle is broken!

One of the twenty-six endings, this is definitely the one to restore your faith in humanity. While facing arguably the weirdest boss in the game, the literal credits, your ship is easily engulfed by bright orbs that seem impossible to beat. When all seems lost, a prompt pops up asking you if you need help. If you do, then a few ships swoop down to protect you while the rising music will drown out your worries. The help you receive is from a random gamer who sacrificed their saved data to help an absolute stranger who turned out to be you. You can choose to do the same thing by spreading some gamer goodwill to someone else.

After almost escaping the grip of series antagonist, GLaDOS, at the end of the first game, just to be put through even more of her terrifying tests in the sequel; it’s only natural that players find her potato-related predicament a little too satisfying. What you don’t expect is for all of those feelings to be tossed out of the window after you find out GLaDOS’ origins, make an uneasy alliance with the malicious AI, and then see a smidge of humanity develop in her. Granted, she does delete said humanity shortly after but she then gives you something sweeter than the cake you never got, freedom… and what’s left of your Companion Cube.

Stella, the titular “Spiritfarer”, is tasked with finding spirits and granting them one final wish before ferrying them to the “Everdoor” where they will cross over into the afterlife. She finds some whimsical wayward souls and gets to know each one of them. Before you know it, you’ve bonded with them and are bawling your eyes out when you have to say goodbye. The whole experience feels fulfilling especially after finding out about Stella’s past as a palliative care nurse. If your eyes were dry until then, we’re sure you’ll ‘happy cry’ when you see Stella and her cat, Daffodil, take her turn to pass through the Everdoor and light up the sky.

This frenetic roguelike dungeon crawler puts you in the stubborn shoes of Hades’ son, Zagreus, who’s trying to escape the “Underworld” to find his biological mother. As Zagreus deals with all of his father’s fury over and over again, his persistence pays off when he meets his mother and reunites her with his father. If you choose to help the tons of tormented permanent residents you meet along the way and increase your “Heat Level'' to 8, then you can unlock the secret ending where Zagreus, Hades, and Persephone invite the Gods of Olympus to the Underworld to break bread. This tender ending warms our hearts. We hope it “Styx”.

With a foreboding title like “A Thief's End” most players might’ve assumed that Nathan Drake was going to bite the big one at the end of the game but luckily that didn't happen to our treasured treasure hunter. Naughty Dog delivered a heartwarming ending instead, with Nate and Elena going legit and Sam and Sully going off on their own adventure, but what’ll melt your heart entirely is the epilogue. We meet Nate and Elena’s daughter, Cassie, who pokes around her house and finds out about her parent’s exciting exploits. When confronted about it, they tell her their tale, starting from where it all began.

If you aren’t humming this theme by now, you will be. We’re shifting gears to something more action-packed. The end of the campaign sees our favorite Spartan blitzing through wave after wave of the Covenant and the Flood on the “Pillar of Autumn” cruiser. This once familiar setting is now in ruins and bursting with enemies at every corner which keeps the player on their toes throughout. What ensues right after that is one of the tensest joyrides in gaming history, where you’ll need nerves of steel and a lead foot to escape the destruction of the “Halo” ring. The iconic “Warthog Run” sequence is so beloved that it became a series staple.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

If you want to squeeze as much joy from this quirky RPG as possible, then the “Pacifist” route is the way to go. You need to spare everyone you meet and date every main character so that you’re all set for one of the most heartfelt finales. While battling the reincarnated Asriel, it’s difficult not to get pumped up when your pals help you win by reaching out to him. Once the barrier between the “Underground” and the “Surface” is broken, the monsters make peace with the humans and live well-adjusted lives among them. The only thing that would make this ending better would be a warm slice of cinnamon pie. Ah, there we go!